McCain Uses His Big Speech to Give Us a Tour of His Vietnamese Prison Cell

Number of sentences in John McCain's acceptance speech about his experience as a POW in Vietnam: 43. Number of sentences about his 25 years in the
House and Senate: 8. The convention ended as it began: a commemoration of McCain's hellish years in a Hanoi prison cell four decades ago. The
political equation was a simple one: POW equals patriotic hero equals a fighting president. Before McCain walked down the long runway at St. Paul's
Xcel Center, a baritone voice declared over the P.A., "When you've lived in a box .... you put your people first." Case closed. But there was a
speech to get through. And before McCain arrived at the climactic I-was-a-POW finale, he delivered, in wooden style, a no-better-than-par speech that
was mostly a series of traditional GOP buzz phrases: lower taxes, cut spending, open markets. He noted, "We believe in a strong defense, work, faith,
service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don't legislate from the bench.
We believe in the values of families, neighborhoods and communities." (Just not community organizers.) Was the speechwriter who penned Sarah Palin's
acceptance speech too busy to work on McCain's? Unlike most speakers at the convention, McCain acknowledged that some Americans are facing tough
times. "I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market," he said.
"Bill got a temporary job after he was out of work for seven months. Sue works three jobs to help pay the bills." And he said he would fight for
Jake and Toni Wimmer of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. "Jake," he explained, "works on a loading dock; coaches Little League, and raises money for
the mentally and physically disabled. Toni is a schoolteacher, working toward her Master's Degree. They have two sons, the youngest, Luke, has been
diagnosed with autism." But how would McCain help these folks? Moments later, he offered a dumbed-down version of his economic plan: " I will keep
taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them. I
will cut government spending. He will increase it." (By the way, many analysts and journalists have repeatedly noted that Obama's economic plan
would cut income taxes far more than McCain for Americans below the top 1 percent.)

McCain makes me laugh, I bet you he can't even spell his own name. Trying to get people to vote for him simply because he was a "war hero"?
Because he was POW, everything about McCain, his running for president is all based on the fact that he was a POW. Give it a break will you?

A lot of his Ads against Obama, speeches against Obama, he always brings back "when I was a POW" story. If Americans are soft and will vote based
on emotions then yeah go ahead make him your president, but whining about being a POW has nothing to do with actually making presidential decisions,
being what your country looks up to, and the Chief in Command.

This 2008 Election is really getting on my nerves, too much talk and not enough actions taken. Reminds me like little kids at school, "My dad is
stronger than yours cuz he was a POW in Vietnam". lol

First off, drop the ignorance. You wreak of the very kind of spoiled attitude which McCain spoke against during his speech. Second, don't ever
criticize someone for bringing up their POW experience. You have no right whatsoever to demean someone for their service to their Nation. Do you not
think that he wakes up every single day of his life remembering those years? People who go through such horrific experiences will always and forever
have them embedded in the back of their mind. Even when not written into a speech, you will still hear an ex-POW speak of their time as such on a
fairly regular basis. Does he not have an inherent RIGHT to do so?

It is the kind of lazy, fog-brained individuals such as yourself that do absolutely nothing to contribute to a cause greater than yourself. You are
about as "Enlightened" as the NVA who thought they could break McCain through the Breaking of both of his Arms, TWICE, constantly Dislocating them,
Breaking his Teeth at the gum-line, Breaking his Ribs, and the Breaking of his Legs. YEAH, when you go through that for Five years, then come back on
ATS and mock the experience. Then when you always talk about it, how would you like it when we all just told you to "Give it a break will you?" (NO
PUN Intended HA...HA.).

I would just like all to know that I nearly died while rescuing my dachshund from some very angry bulls she was trying to take down. Now I know how to
lead the nation I tell you vote for me because anyone who rescues a little weiner from a bunch of bull has shown they can't be swayed by just any ole
bunch of BS! TH3ON3 for POTUS 08!!!

I don't like the man's politics, but I salute him and offer him the absolute highest respect for what he went through in Vietnam. John Mccain lived
in that hell hole of filth and squalor for some long hard years, he endured torture for this country the likes of which you or I will never have to
understand.

I dont like John Mccain's position on pretty much anything, and truth be known I dont really like the man on a personal level either. But to poke fun
at or ridicule what he lived through while serving and protecting this country is a low blow....he should be commended and treated as a hero for what
he had to live through.

He deserves all of our gratitude and most of all our respect.

And if I survived over five years of torture and mental abuse at the hands of the Viet Cong and lived to tell about it, I would talk about it any damn
time I pleased.

Being a P.O.W. may not qualify him to be president of this country, but it says a whole awful lot about what kind of man he is.

Originally posted by TheAgentNineteen
First off, drop the ignorance. You wreak of the very kind of spoiled attitude which McCain spoke against during his speech. Second, don't ever
criticize someone for bringing up their POW experience. You have no right whatsoever to demean someone for their service to their Nation. Do you not
think that he wakes up every single day of his life remembering those years? People who go through such horrific experiences will always and forever
have them embedded in the back of their mind. Even when not written into a speech, you will still hear an ex-POW speak of their time as such on a
fairly regular basis. Does he not have an inherent RIGHT to do so?

It is the kind of lazy, fog-brained individuals such as yourself that do absolutely nothing to contribute to a cause greater than yourself. You are
about as "Enlightened" as the NVA who thought they could break McCain through the Breaking of both of his Arms, TWICE, constantly Dislocating them,
Breaking his Teeth at the gum-line, Breaking his Ribs, and the Breaking of his Legs. YEAH, when you go through that for Five years, then come back on
ATS and mock the experience. Then when you always talk about it, how would you like it when we all just told you to "Give it a break will you?" (NO
PUN Intended HA...HA.).

First Off, I AM IN THE MILITARY, and have been for 12 years now. So, don't tell me not to say that ever again. I have been through a lot of
struggle in my military career as well but you don't see me using those experiences to get something.

I do know what it takes to serve a Nation, what it is to put your life in danger but don't expect people to sympathize with you simply because your
putting your life at risk for the whole Nation.

Uh, NO YOU MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT. Just because you're in the military doesn't give you the right to disrespect a senior officer. The reason you
don't have anything to gain from your military experience is because you aren't running for public office.

You may be serving the country in body, but your attitude sucks, mister. With people like you defending this country, we don't need enemies because
ignorance, stupidity and hate come from our very own.

John McCain went through horrors most of us couldn't imagine, for a country that mocks him and his service. I find it pathetic and disgusting. It
litterly makes my stomach churn.

Even if you don't want to recognize it, what McCain went through in that prison is a big part of who he is. His disabilities and memories make up the
man that is John McCain. How can he not talk about his POW experience?

John McCain went through horrors most of us couldn't imagine, for a country that mocks him and his service. I find it pathetic and disgusting. It
litterly makes my stomach churn.

Even if you don't want to recognize it, what McCain went through in that prison is a big part of who he is. His disabilities and memories make up the
man that is John McCain. How can he not talk about his POW experience?

[edit on 6-9-2008 by Dronetek]

Do you think maybe that experience might affect his judgement in a military face off. It is a very valid point to bring up. I think someone who has
suffered so egregiously at the hands of foreigners, might just look upon ALL nations who think differently than them as a scourge that needs to be
eradicated at all costs...Even the cost of every life in the nation.

Why would he care, after all, they need to be taken out. He would be safe in airforce one while giving the order to nuke them all. Also, as a person
ages their judgement becomes clouded. It is a fact of life. No disrespect for Mr. McCain, he is a war hero after all, but I think he is not the cool
head we need in a position of ultimate power. And using his experience to try to say he should be president because he suffered so much and deserves
it because it somehow made him the ultimate leader, appealing to get pity votes is wrong in my opinion.

Ok, maybe I came out a bit too harsh, but I am not apologizing either. Just because I haven't gotten my arms dislocated, horror memories of being
tortured doesn't mean my experiences are not valid. I have great respect for those who put their lives at risk for their countries but I do not have
sympathy for someone using it to gain power.

There are two reasons why someone will use this to such an extent:
#1: Wants to let his audience (fellow citizens) to feel pity and make them realize that he almost died for their country and as a result deserves to
be president.

#2: Those horrors images (of being POW) he suffered as a result of a tragic political event haven't fade away yet. And if this is the reason one
should stop and think that an individual in such a state of mind is not going to make a good president.

No one is mocking his service, people are mocking the poor choice of selecting your past to determine your future.

Service does not equals taking advantage of the situation. He knows that America is very patriotic so, why not use something like that to your
advantage?

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